Genus and species: Petunia hybrida. 
Variety denomination: xe2x80x98Whip Scarlxe2x80x99.
The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of petunia, botanically known as Petunia hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name xe2x80x98Whip Scarlxe2x80x99. The new cultivar is asexually reproduced from vegetative cuttings and tissue culture resulting from the cross of the seed/pod parent 99-189-1, a red proprietary line that is unnamed and unpatentedxc3x9799-1-4, a purple proprietary line that is unnamed and unpatented.
xe2x80x98Whip Scarlxe2x80x99 is a product of a planned breeding program intended to create new petunia plants with scarlet colored flowers, compact habit, good basal branching and moderately vigorous growth.
The new cultivar was created in 1999 in Gilroy, Calif. and has been asexually reproduced repeatedly by vegetative cuttings and tissue culture in Gilroy, Calif., Andijk, The Netherlands, and Guatemala over a three-year period. The plant has also been trialed at Gilroy, Calif., Litchfield, Mich. and Andijk, The Netherlands. The present invention has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive asexual propagations; and this novelty is firmly fixed.